Question 1

What's the difference between a Web Application Firewall (WAF) and a network firewall?

Accepted Answer

A network firewall mainly controls traffic based on IPs, ports, and protocols (Layers 3–4). A WAF inspects HTTP/HTTPS requests (Layer 7) and can block web-specific attacks like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), malicious bots, and suspicious request patterns.

Question 2

When should I use a Web Application Firewall (WAF)?

Accepted Answer

Use a WAF when you run any internet-facing web app or API, especially if it handles logins, payments, personal data, or has high visibility. It’s particularly useful when you need quick protection against common attacks, want virtual patching while you fix code, need rate limiting for abusive traffic, or must meet security requirements for production workloads.

Question 3

How much does a Web Application Firewall (WAF) cost?

Accepted Answer

Costs typically depend on (1) number of protected resources (apps, load balancers, domains), (2) number of rules or rule groups (managed rules often add cost), (3) request volume (per million requests or per request processing), and (4) extra features like bot management, DDoS integration, and logging. Cloud WAF pricing is usually usage-based, so costs rise with traffic and with more advanced rule sets.

Web Application Firewall

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